Special report: Global fight against bird flu

    YAOUNDE, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon has confirmed its second case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in the city of Malape, the Cameroonian Ministry of Livestock, Fishing and Animal Industries said Wednesday.

    According to the ministry, the virus was detected in a wild duck which was found dead on the lake of Malape not long ago, about 1,000 km north of the capital Yaounde. Test in an Italian lab confirmed the bird was killed by the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of the virus.

    Aboubakari Sarki, minister of livestock, fishing and animal industries, has asked to beef up surveillance of the poultry and animals which are prone to be infected with the bird flu virus in Malape and the Northern Province where the city is located.

    Cameroon detected the first case of H5N1 bird flu on March 15 with ducks in a farm in the northern town of Maroua confirmed to be infected with the virus, which made it the fourth African country with H5N1 bird flu after Nigeria, Egypt and Niger. Enditem